The Knicks' Pivot

Woodson Has Led a Shift in Ideology Toward Veterans Who Defend Well

By

Chris Herring

Updated Oct. 4, 2012 8:54 p.m. ET

GREENBURGH, N.Y.—A year and a half ago, after they swung a midseason, blockbuster trade, the Knicks were widely considered to have two franchise cornerstones. In high-flying scorers Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire, the club believed it had two players entering their prime who would help light up the scoreboard in a fashion that Mike D'Antoni-coached teams almost always did.

But in a New York minute, the team spun around its priorities like a pivot foot. Offensive juggernauts Anthony and Stoudemire are still the...